The RIB crew pulled the unconscious boy from the sea getting him on board the lifeboat, from where he was winched into the rescue helicopter and airlifted to Middlesborough Hospital.

Meanwhile four of the teenagers who had tried to rescue the boy had managed to scramble to the shore; two others had ended up on rocks and were taken to safety by the lifeboat.

Ray Hart, Watch Manager at Tyne Tees Coastguard said, "With the dangerous offshore winds that we get on the north east coast we do not recommend the use of inflatable toys and dinghies, but if you do take these items to the coast please, please tether them to the shore. So many youngsters get caught out each year, sometimes with tragic consequences."